What to Pack
WHEN PACKING FOR CAMP:
- PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY FOOD per camp policy.
- CASH IS NOT NEEDED AT CAMP. Please do not send any with your child. Camp is not responsible for any cash that is sent to camp.
- Please be sure to label ALL clothing with your child’s first and last name! (Initials are NOT sufficient for us to identify lost items found around camp.)
- Please be sure to label ALL items, including duffel bags, tallit, tefillin and tallit bags!
- Please only pack clothing that can be laundered.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
Todah rabbah!
WHAT TO PACK
Please click here for our suggested clothing and equipment list. This is a list of recommendations; you do not need to pack every item on this list! Recommendations are based on laundry being done on a nine-day cycle at camp.
When planning your child’s clothing needs, please take into consideration variations in temperature. It can be warm during the afternoons, and quite cool sometimes at night and in the morning.
It will rain sometimes at camp, so please don’t forget to pack a raincoat or poncho for your child. Some campers like to bring rainboots as well.
Clothing with alcohol, tobacco, drugs, sexual content or inappropriate language or content is not permitted.
Please be aware that, in keeping with our values of tzniut (modesty), all hanichim (campers) are required to wear a shirt at all times, when in public outside of their tzrif (bunk). This includes male identifying hanichim, except for when swimming or at our agam (lake). We encourage male campers to wear swim-shirts.
Closed toe shoes are required for active camp programs.
Simple, modest, nicer-than-everyday clothing is appropriate dress for Shabbat. We recommend nice pants, shorts or a skirt, with a nice shirt, or a dress. Campers and staff wear Shabbat clothing on Friday night and Saturday morning, so please pack a few different Shabbat options for your child.
Limited electrical outlets are available. Please limit the number of fans, lamps and clocks brought to camp. Hair dryers are allowed as long as they are unplugged immediately after use.
PLEASE LABEL EVERYTHING! Please identify each item of clothing, shoes, outerwear, and all belongings with your child’s full name. Labeling with initials is not sufficient in helping us determine to whom a lost item belongs. For your convenience, there is a link in your Campminder account to order self-sticking, waterproof labels through Oliver’s labels.
Please pre-wash ALL new clothing and break in new shoes prior to bringing them to camp.
Please put the bunk tags provided by camp on your child’s luggage.
TALLIT AND TEFILLIN
All campers living in a female identifying bunk of Bat Mitzvah age and older are encouraged to bring a tallit and tefillin to camp. All campers living in a male identifying bunk of Bar Mitzvah age and older are required to bring a tallit (or a tallit katan) and tefillin to camp and wear them during morning t’fillot (prayer services). Please make sure your camper knows about this policy and packs them. If you need help finding tefillin, we recommend contacting your local rabbi who should be able to help. If your synagogue cannot help you, please contact us; we have a limited number of extra sets of tallit and tefillin that a camper could arrange to borrow.
Please make an extra effort to label your child’s tallit and tefillin, and tallit bag, so we can identify them if they are misplaced at camp.
Male identifying hanichim of all ages need to make sure to bring enough kippot for use throughout the summer. (We suggest at least four.)
LINENS
American campers should bring all their own linens (sheets, blankets, pillow, towels, etc). Please bring twin/single size sheets. You might want to consider bringing an extra blanket, as it can get cold at night.
We will provide lines for international campers, upon request.
WHAT TO LEAVE AT HOME
Camp Ramah cannot guarantee, and is not responsible for, the safe return of expensive or breakable items. Please leave those items at home.
The following items are NOT PERMITTED at camp:
- Computers or tablets
- Cell phones
- Smart watches that connect to the internet without a cell phone
- Electronic gaming devices
- Bicycles, skateboards, and scooters
- Fireworks (including sparklers)
- Water pistols, water guns, laser-pens, air guns (or similar items)
- Balloons or other latex items
- Weapons, including knives (of any size or purpose)
- Alcohol, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, marijuana or any marijuana paraphernalia, vaping equipment, and any illegal drugs or controlled substances
Please note that any device that can access the internet is not allowed at camp, even if the internet function is turned off. (This includes most iPods, MP3 players, and Kindles.) MP3 players that do not have internet capability are allowed. Kindles or other e-readers that can access the internet only to download e-books are allowed; if they have any additional web-surfing functionality they are not allowed.
If any of the above items are found in a hanich’s possession, they will be confiscated and returned at the end of the session.
OUTSIDE FOOD AT CAMP
There is absolutely no outside food allowed at camp. We provide delicious and healthy between-meal snacks for any hanichim (campers) who want them. Every hanich has plenty to eat at camp.
In addition to concerns about kashrut, we have hanichim and tzevet (staff-members) at camp with serious food allergies, and so we must have complete control of all food items served at camp. We ask all parents to help us abide by this important policy. Please click here for our full allergy protocol.
Any food sent to camp will be confiscated.
LAUNDRY AND LOST & FOUND
We recommend that you pack clothing for your child for nine (9) days. Laundry is done weekly off-site and is returned within 2-3 days. Please pre-wash all new clothing prior to sending it to camp, and please be sure to label all clothing with your child’s first and last name. Labeling clothes is critical to ensuring that lost clothes can be returned to your child. Please do not send your child with any clothing that can’t be laundered normally (ex. dry-clean-only). Campers are expected to change their sheets weekly and must participate in each nine day laundry rotation.
Throughout the summer, we make exhaustive attempts to return lost items to their owners. After the summer, we will return items deemed valuable if they are labeled with a child’s name to you by mail, at your expense.